REEL FOR DISPENSING AND COLLECTING ELECTRIFIED WIRE

摘要

An apparatus for protecting the gate of an animal enclosure with an electrified wire that also extends along fencing includes a reel that dispenses and collects the wire to minimize the possibility of shock during gate opening and closing procedures. A hollow reel housing is mounted to a first fence post to which the gate is hingedly attached. A truncate wire connected to a source of electrical power such as an electrified fence wire extends into the hollow reel housing through a first opening and is connected to a nonrotating electrical contact. An annular rotating electrical contact is in electrical communication with a proximal end of wire coiled about the reel and is mounted on the reel so that the wire remains in electrical communication with the source of power when the reel is rotating in a wire-dispensing direction or in a wire-collecting direction. The wire, when uncoiled, extends through a second opening formed in the hollow reel housing. The distal free end of the wire is connected to a handle latch member that engages a handle catch member mounted on a second fence post adjacent the free end of the gate when the uncoiled wire is extended across the gate. The handle latch member includes an insulated handle which is grasped during wire dispensing and collecting. The reel is spring-loaded and loads during dispensing and unloads during collecting. An indicator light is illuminated when power is supplied to the apparatus.